chrismahon
Active member
- Messages
- 5,085
- Location
- Gascony, France
We've been in France 7 years now and the only things I have done are replacing pop-hole pull cords and fitting clear acrylic sliding vent covers to the North side, instead of plywood, which is the one usually fully closed. The climate here means coops take a real bashing and realistically tongue-and-groove boarding simply doesn't work in the extremes of humidity and temperature. Unfortunately I can't find the original post for our France-bound mobile coop and I didn't have time then to post pictures of the three Breeding coops built then. As it happens the Breeding coops have performed really well both in terms of longevity and also ease of assembly, transport and use.
There have been some quality issues. The Wicks 30mm Zinc nails rusted quickly, however their 40mm nails are still fine. The expensive neoprene nest box sealing strips have split- fortunately they are wide enough to cut down and still work. Some of the plywood was of inferior manufacture (despite what was claimed) and has warped and split.
On the plus side the roofing felt, although a bit blistered, is still intact despite the surface temperature often exceeding 60C. The Cuprinol Shades paint is well outside its designed operating limits but has only just started to flake. Pleased I used 18mm exterior plywood for the base of the Breeders as anything plastic quickly disintegrates here and I have to kneel inside the coops to assemble and clean them- something overlooked and that Stockboard would withstand.
By complete co-incidence the house we have bought has the same coloured green on the shutters as all our new coops were painted. The previous owner kindly left us 7 litres of very expensive oil based microporous paint, which now being used on the coops, the Cuprinol shade having almost run out anyway.
An important point here is coop orientation and that needs to be considered in the build. By sheer fluke all our coops were as right as they can be. They need to face South for Winter, so the run is on that side. This means in Summer that side gets hot! The most vulnerable side is the West as that gets a real bashing from wind, rain, hail and the afternoon sun- best not have any openings on that side. The North attracts moss growth but stays cool, so a good place for nest boxes and the East is quite sheltered, so the best side for the access door.
The main cladding damage is to the West sides, with the South a close second. None of the coops have damage to the East or North. Seems the usual route taken down here for a coop is to convert a small shed. Now sheds are new to the French and didn't exist 10 years ago. They are rather expensive because the construction allows for significant wood shrinkage and expansion- far more than the 5mm our boarding can cope with. The sides are usually 28mm and they interlock- no nails or screws. This allows the shed to rise when damp and shrink when dry without compromising the weather proofing. Seems our coops, which are fast becoming redundant, are unsaleable here as we've tried! So the message is, don't make coops to bring here unless you have a lot of spare boarding, as it isn't sold here. Happens we have 20m2 of it, so no problem.
There have been some quality issues. The Wicks 30mm Zinc nails rusted quickly, however their 40mm nails are still fine. The expensive neoprene nest box sealing strips have split- fortunately they are wide enough to cut down and still work. Some of the plywood was of inferior manufacture (despite what was claimed) and has warped and split.
On the plus side the roofing felt, although a bit blistered, is still intact despite the surface temperature often exceeding 60C. The Cuprinol Shades paint is well outside its designed operating limits but has only just started to flake. Pleased I used 18mm exterior plywood for the base of the Breeders as anything plastic quickly disintegrates here and I have to kneel inside the coops to assemble and clean them- something overlooked and that Stockboard would withstand.
By complete co-incidence the house we have bought has the same coloured green on the shutters as all our new coops were painted. The previous owner kindly left us 7 litres of very expensive oil based microporous paint, which now being used on the coops, the Cuprinol shade having almost run out anyway.
An important point here is coop orientation and that needs to be considered in the build. By sheer fluke all our coops were as right as they can be. They need to face South for Winter, so the run is on that side. This means in Summer that side gets hot! The most vulnerable side is the West as that gets a real bashing from wind, rain, hail and the afternoon sun- best not have any openings on that side. The North attracts moss growth but stays cool, so a good place for nest boxes and the East is quite sheltered, so the best side for the access door.
The main cladding damage is to the West sides, with the South a close second. None of the coops have damage to the East or North. Seems the usual route taken down here for a coop is to convert a small shed. Now sheds are new to the French and didn't exist 10 years ago. They are rather expensive because the construction allows for significant wood shrinkage and expansion- far more than the 5mm our boarding can cope with. The sides are usually 28mm and they interlock- no nails or screws. This allows the shed to rise when damp and shrink when dry without compromising the weather proofing. Seems our coops, which are fast becoming redundant, are unsaleable here as we've tried! So the message is, don't make coops to bring here unless you have a lot of spare boarding, as it isn't sold here. Happens we have 20m2 of it, so no problem.
